Raid on Chapainawabganj ‘militant hideout’ kills 3

Three alleged militants have been killed during a drive in a suspected militant den conducted by the members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Char Alatuli village of Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila early Tuesday.

Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

The elite force detained house owner Rashikul, 40, his wife Nazma, 38, and father-in-law Khorshed Alam, 55, from Sabdipur area in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi district for interrogation.

A team of RAB from Rajshahi besieged a house in the area around 3am suspecting it a militant den responding to a secret tip-off and asked the inmates of the house to surrender, said Mufti Mahmud, Director of RAB (Media wing).

But the suspected militants opened fire and lobbed grenade to the elite forces, prompting them to retaliate, he said.

During exchanging of fire, several bombs were blown up frequently around 5am at the den, he adding, saying the security operation was launched around 7am after a team of bomb disposal unit from Rajshahi reached the spot.